Residents driven barking mad by persistent dog fouling

RESIDENTS of Omagh district have been voicing concerns over an ‘escalating’ problem of dog fouling plaguing their communities.

Mid-Tyrone DUP Councillor, Shirley Hawkes has called on dog owners to take responsibility for the waste left by their pets after receiving ‘numerous complaints’ from people in Beragh and around Omagh of dog fouling in their areas.

“Footpaths, play areas and areas of open space where the general public walk on a daily basis are being subject to dog excrement not being lifted by the dog’s owner,” she said.

Cllr Hawkes’s concerns are being shared by residents who claim the problem is getting worse.

Karl Lyndon Donald from Campsie Court in Omagh described some local streets as being “carpeted with waste.”

“Many people walking their dogs through Campsie do not seem to lift their own dogs’ excrement,” he complained.

Another Omagh resident got so fed up she took a bold step by confronting the negligent dog owner directly.

“After identifying the individual, I resorted to leaving dog excrement on their doorstep accompanied by a polite note saying ‘please respect your neighbour’. Miraculously, the frequency of fouling reduced significantly thereafter,” she said.

Carmel McVeigh, from Drumquin, expressed concern over dog fouling on a local walkway close to the GAA pitch.

“The GAA club has a fantastic walkway around the pitch in Drumquin and there are some very responsible dog owners that use it wisely, but unfortunately there is also an issue with dog fouling. There is now a risk of dogs being banned due to the fouling problem, which is such a pity because this is a safe area for responsible people to walk with their dogs.”

Clodagh Walsh from Kevlin Road in Omagh said she has sent numerous emails to the local council, without getting a response.

“Having been a carer in Omagh for four years, the Kevlin Road is in my opinion the worst for fouling,” she said.

“It’s a nightmare when I’m out with the pram as it’s all over the footpaths – I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve spent washing my pram wheels.”

“I’ve emailed the council numerous times about it but they haven’t even emailed me back. I feel really disappointed that they claim to take the issue seriously and they don’t,” added Clodagh.

Cllr Hawkes said she has urged the council to have a clean-up of the affected areas.

“I respectfully call on dog owners guilty of leaving a mess behind them to act responsibly and collect and bin the faeces, bearing in mind that many other members of the public use these same areas for their daily exercise,” she concluded.